FG’s response to Oyo school abduction was not slow – Presidency

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has defended the Federal Government’s response to the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, insisting that authorities acted swiftly following the incident near Ogbomoso.

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Speaking during a television interview on Tuesday, June 2, Dare dismissed suggestions that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu delayed in responding to the abduction, saying government action began within hours of the attack. According to him, the President immediately condemned the incident and directed security agencies to mobilise resources to secure the release of the victims.

“The response of the federal government has not been slow. If you monitor the developments very steadily, when it occurred, in less than 24 hours there was a response, a statement by Mr. President condemning it and activating all levers of the security organization to move to that place,” he said.

Dare added that senior security officials were on the ground within 48 hours of the incident to engage with affected communities.

“Less than 48 hours after, the IG, Tunji Disu, personally went right into those villages to engage with the community leaders, the hunters, and the families and relatives of those involved. So, to say it was slow, it was not slow, but you have to follow a process,” he stated.

He said the President remained deeply concerned about the abducted victims and had ordered both kinetic and non-kinetic measures to address insecurity in Oriire Local Government Area. Dare disclosed that special rescue units had been deployed, alongside troops and military equipment, with security cordons established around affected locations to support ongoing rescue operations.

“When you add that to the ongoing efforts in terms of activating the special forces, those that have the skills for rescue, we already have teams like that. You look at the tanks, the soldiers that have gone there. The cordon that has been taking place, that area has been cordoned off to make sure that at least they are able to entrap both the attackers and their victims,” he said.

The presidential aide also said President Tinubu had approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards and supported the establishment of a military base in the area as part of broader security measures.

Dare noted that rescue operations require discretion and said not all details could be made public due to operational sensitivity. Addressing concerns about insecurity in Ogbomoso, he described the kidnappings as isolated incidents linked to difficult terrain within the Old Forest Reserve, a vast forest belt spanning multiple states.

He said the government had continued infrastructure and security interventions in the region, citing progress on the Oyo-Ogbomoso road project, which he said had advanced from 60 per cent completion to 87 per cent under the current administration.

Rejecting claims that the interventions were reactive, Dare maintained that the Tinubu administration had consistently demonstrated commitment to addressing insecurity nationwide. He also referenced ongoing military operations in states including Yobe, Borno, Niger and Kwara, saying security forces continued to apply pressure on armed groups despite operational challenges.

Dare rated the President’s performance on security highly, while acknowledging ongoing challenges. “Are there security challenges? Absolutely. Are these challenges being confronted? Absolutely,” he said. He further defended the administration’s economic policies, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate reforms, arguing that they were yielding long-term benefits such as increased non-oil revenue and export growth.

“The question I always insist we interrogate is: where was this country when President Bola Tinubu took over in May 2023? What was the situation then? Where would we have been if he had not done anything?” he asked. According to him, Nigeria’s economy is showing signs of diversification and improved stability under the reforms.